There are many poignant and heart wrenching deaths in the Lord of the Rings, including two of the most memorable: Gandalf, who falls to a Balrog in the Mines of Moria, later to return as Gandalf the White, and Boromir, who dies to protect Merry and Pippin from an onslaught of orcs. But one death that happens shockingly quickly, in the midst of a valiant battle, when it seems like the good guys are finally winning and the orcs will be driven back, is that of King Theoden.
Theoden’s death comes as a surprise for many viewers, because the screeching Fell Beast appears out of the sky and swoops Theoden’s horse from beneath him, rolling them and crushing them instantly as they go. Many of the other characters who witness the awful event are equally shocked and horrified, and Eowyn, who is stood nearby, rushes to protect her Uncle from the onslaught of the Witch King and his flying demon.
And although she beheads the cruel creature, and stabs the Witch King with the help of Merry the hobbit, she is unable to save Theoden’s life because his bones have already been shattered by the impact. And Theoden’s death is tragic for three reasons, two of which are made very evident in the films, and one of which Peter Jackson decided to re-write in his movie adaptation because it was too devastating for the characters involved.
Theoden's Line Comes To An End
The first terrible sadness behind Theoden’s death is that his line has come to an end. Although Eomer and Eowyn still endure, and will be able to pass on their genes and carry on the majesty of the house of Rohan, Theoden is the last of the male link that joins him to many unbroken male relatives before him.
In a terrible twist of fate, Theoden’s son Theodred is buried in the hills around the hall of Edoras, among the kings of his house, thus cutting the line, as Theodred is removed of any hope of producing any heirs. Theoden is therefore the only male of his father’s direct bloodline left, for Eowyn and Eomer are decendants of his sister, who is not part of the long-running male-to-male unbroken line that Theoden and Theodred both continued. Thus Eomer takes the throne of Rohan, and the rule still stays within the family, but not in the way that it was intended.
Eowyn And Eomer Lose Their Family
The second great tragedy of the king’s death is for Eowyn and Eomer themselves. As aforementioned, they have not long lost their cousin Theodred to this awful war, and now have lost their uncle also. As the two lost their parents at a very young age, they have now been removed from almost every family meber they have ever loved, except each other.
Eowyn is described in the books as always having a disposition of sadness around her, she is a deeply unhappy person, steeped in the midst of loss and bitter war that has followed her and her brother always like a shadow. This is in part why Eomer is more shocked and grieved to find his sisters' body on the battlefield (whom he presumes dead) than his uncle’s, for if Eowyn had also perished, he would truly be alone, and the very last living member of his house.
Eomer is depicted in the movies holding her and yelling in pure anguish, both because he has lost his sister, his most beloved in all the world up to that point, but also because he fears that he may have pushed her towards this terrible fate by never believing in her and understanding that she was a capable warrior. This forced her to stow away among the riders, in disguise, and left her vulnerable to fight alone, instead of alongside the others.
Theoden Dies Alone (In The Books)
But by far the most tragic part of Theoden’s death, the thing that was changed for the movies, is that in the books, Theoden dies alone, never having known the brave and noble sacrifice Eowyn made for him. It is actually Merry, who is sworn to the kings service who finds him broken, and whom the king tells that he has died with valor, and will not now be ashamed in the company of his forebears.
As he is fading, he mourns, saying "I would send word to Eowyn. She would not have me leave her, and now I shall not see her again, dearer than daughter.” Merry tries to explain that the brave soldier who has just beheaded the Fell Beast and defeated the Witch King is in fact Eowyn, but at that moment a troupe of Haradrim soldiers wielding Oliphaunt Mumakils, enter the battle. Merry never gets the chance to complete his sentence, and "so the king died, and knew not that Eowyn was near him."
After all that Eowyn has been through, and after the terrible wound that she earns in protecting him, it is tragic beyond belief that the king dies without ever knowing how brave and valiant she truly was. He never gets to see her prove her worth and her spirit, and he passes out of the world without ever knowing that she loved him dearly enough to give her own life for his.